What 977 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali Xl 1500

While driving our GMC Yukon XL, the vehicle will begin shuttering, losing power, slip gears, or unable to shift gears. On one occasion, the vehicle lost was unable to accelerate and maintain speed causing my wife to quickly respond by changing lanes and pulling off on the shoulder of a road, in a very dangerous situation, all while coasting without engine power. Two independent mechanic shops have reported that the torque converted failed and had sent metal fragments throughout the transmission, and ruining the transmission. Both mechanics recommended a new transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11552667

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated he was following behind in another vehicle and noticed that the taillights were out. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed exterior lighting assembly. The exterior lighting assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated he replaced the exterior lighting assembly three times since March 2022. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 109,554.

NHTSA ODI 11547848

On, 9/27/23, I took my son to daycare around 9 am and went to Norfolk, NE for the day. I ran errands and had an appointment which my car sat in the sun for 1.5 hours at one time. Between stores we turned the air on as I had my oldest child with me. We came home to West Point, NE and picked up my other children about 4 pm. All car seat buckles were in normal working condition. I parked my car back in our attached garage on the East side of our house. Around 7:30 am on 9/28/23, I attempted to buckle my son again and noticed the male end of the chest clip was severely bent as if it had melted. My car has tinted windows in the second row where the car seat is located. The car sat in the sun, but not directly on the carseat, for the 1.5 hours while we were at the appointment. The car seat may have had direct sunlight while we were eating lunch which was no longer than 30 minutes. The car was again in the sun for another 2 hours but the carseat was not in direct sunlight during that time. Luckily, I had a spare carseat and was able to discontinue use of the car seat with the melted chest clip. I would not have been able to buckle the chest clip in the condition it was in on 9/28/23 ensuring the shoulder straps would be in the correct position on my child. The car seat has not been inspected by anyone other than myself.

NHTSA ODI 11547139

My car is giving me all kinds of warnings, parking assist off, rear back up, trailer brake, the radio sounds go off, blinker sounds go off, while trying to park power steering locks up, it will die in the middle of a turn. It’s doing everything The 2015 recall was created for. I do not think my car was fixed during the recall period. It is very hazardous.

NHTSA ODI 11542538

I have owned this vehicle almost 6 years, 40,000 when purchased used. Since purchase, we have had multiple issues with the trailer brake system randomly going off, dinging non stop, we had the problem serviced under our warranty and is now going off again. We do not tow but a few times every summer which is our jet skis however. This has happened multiple times prior to us using our warranty, the garage says they fix it but it keeps happening. I am very frustrated that I can't drive my vehicle down the road without a continues dinging. I looked up what "trailer brake system" means and found that it can be very dangerous and GMC's are known to have this problem, it is suggested that I lodge a complaint in hopes of getting this problem resolved from the manufacturer before a driver becomes seriously injured when the braking system decides to fail. I have read complaint after complaint. My warranty is now expired as I recently rolled over 100,000 miles, the GMC garage told me the part was around $78 but over $400 with install, ridiculous! I have already replaced this part a little over a year ago, I went to the garage where the warranty work was performed and got all the paperwork. Why has this problem not been categorized as a recall at this point? Something isn't right!

NHTSA ODI 11538370

Consuming a lot of oil, makes a funny clicking noise sometimes when accelerations, had lil pieces of metal in my oil, Transmisson problems, 1 front headlight and all rear tail lights went out, trailer brake system would come on and go off now it won’t stop dinging and makes a whole bunch of other lights come on (trailer brake system, park assist, low brake fluid, traction control, collision) dings some much I can’t drive it. Called a gm shop near me and they told me it would cost a whole bunch for each diagnosis for every warning that came on.

NHTSA ODI 11537059

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, messages indicating the side detectors and front Camera failure, and other unknown messages were displayed. The contact stated that the instrument cluster, the instrument panel and the infotainment system turned off. The contact was able to drive to the residence; however, upon pressing the Push to Stop button several times to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that she opened the hood and disconnected the fuse connected to the engine, and the vehicle turned off. The contact stated that the failure mainly recurred when driving a 25 miles distance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that both side detection safety modules and harness had failed, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, the manufacturer advised the contact that they could not assist in covering the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536279

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that while making a turn, the steering functionality momentarily returned however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel stiffened and became difficult to maneuver then remained stiff. The power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electrical power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was then advised to take the vehicle to the dealer and informed that the vehicle was included in a recall and provided the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V719000 (Steering) however, the dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531360

Fuel pump leak. our cabin fills up with exhaust causing myself and my 3 young kids (1,3,5) to start coughing, eyes and throat burning, headaches & a hard time breathing. confirmed by GMC dealer in concord & separate auto shop. They told us it had a recall and that they couldn't fix it after paying them to diagnose it since it was recall. Now GMC dealer is telling us that the problem and recall exists for other 2015 Yukon models but our VIN # Is not included and that's why they never fixed the problem that I've been complaining about since I bought the truck (dont remember exact purchase date but the vehicle was new and under warranty for years). I've taken it to the dealership 3 times for the same problem (exhaust smell in cabin) and they kept saying it's fine. Now it's so bad that we can't drive it because it makes us feel sick.

NHTSA ODI 11531453

The brake lights intermittently come on and off. Not reliable and the entire assembly has to be replaced per light in order to work. Sometimes if you hit a bump it will work for a bit then go back out. They have been removed, cleaned, but there is no way to fix them without replacing them. This is a known problem with GMC and they will not warranty or recall this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11531044

The taillights started to randomly go in and out. The driver side taillight stopped working but the passenger side taillight still worked. Then a day later the driver side taillight worked, but the passenger side taillight didn’t work. The next day we were going to look into this issue, and the driver and passenger side taillights were working, so we halted. We kept an eye on it and they seemed to continue to work for a few days with no issues, so drove it 20 miles to work. When I left work it was dark and I had a coworker check my brake lights before leaving and the running lights and brake lights were indeed working. By the time I arrived at home, I had no running or brake lights. This is and was a danger to others and myself as this could’ve caused an accident driving and the taillights going out. The truck did not give a warning message that I had no taillights.

NHTSA ODI 11531067

“Service Trailer Brake System” indicator light and alert continue happening. As of this weekend, my rear driver side taillight has begun going in and out/off and on.

NHTSA ODI 11530471

This is a common issue that is not being resolved by GM. First one, now BOTH of my rear tail lights are malfunctioning due to manufacturing defects. This is a well publicized problem and I feel that GM should be responsible for continuing to ignore the issue. Replacement tail lights are approximately $750 each. There are many businesses that have sprung up solely to repair these tail lights.

NHTSA ODI 11527549

Tail lights are very inconsistent of working or not working. Sometimes they work but most times they don't.

NHTSA ODI 11527296

I write to express my concern over an issue with my 2015 GMC Yukon that has also impacted other community members. In April, my Yukon, with just over 70k miles, broke down as I was turning from Rte 14 in Pembroke, MA onto Rte 53. At the time, I had my 3 & 5 year old children in the car with me. I could not get my vehicle to restart & had it towed to a local mechanic. After our local mechanic could not diagnose the problem, on 4/25/23, I had the vehicle towed to Marty’s GMC in Kingston, MA, where it was purchased. I had to call Marty’s regularly to check in on my vehicle before it was finally inspected. After 2 weeks, I was told that the valve spring needed to be replaced & the fluids flushed. I approved those repairs totaling $1600. After a couple of days, I received a phone call that there are issues with the lifters & brakes which would add another week of repairs & bring the costs up to $5,500. After another week, I received a call that there was more work to be done increasing the total cost of repairs by an additional $1,000. When I finally picked the car up, I was notified that the estimates I received were miscalculations & my repair costs totaled $7,512.23. Since this ordeal, I have talked to several GMC owners with cars of a similar age & low mileage. These owners have experienced the exact same issues. Throughout my conversations, I learned there is a service bulletin out on the issue with the lifters, but no recall. The lifter issue is a serious safety hazard. I have made multiple attempts to reach someone at GM’s corporate office to try & initiate a formal recall for the lifters. No one has been able to tell me how a recall gets issued. This whole ordeal has been a massive burden, both emotionally & financially for my family. It feels as though my young children & I were put in harm’s way for a known GMC issue that could have been avoided.

NHTSA ODI 11525389

Trailer brake service malfunction

NHTSA ODI 11523898

Both tail lights have stopped working. I purchased in 2019 with 60k miles and by the time the first tail light failed, I was over the 72k limit. If these lights failing was an issue before, it still is an issue and the special warranty should be extended to ensure replacement of faulty items.

NHTSA ODI 11522172

When turning left the vehicle locks up and turns off, after that messages about the parking assist and versatrack starts popping up.

NHTSA ODI 11521812

Vehicle had lifter and valve noise Lifters and valves became stuck due to Active Fuel Management system failure Transmission shifted poorly due to this condition. Resulting in engine failure and engine replacement at my expense Total cost $12,000

NHTSA ODI 11518586

Driving at a normal speed around 30 mph when vehicle suddenly becomes hard to steer as if the power steering just cut out or off therefore making it extremely difficult to control the vehicle and felt like a rough ride while this is taking place.....Definitely sounds like a safety issue......DASH READING WARNING SERVICE PWWR STEERING

NHTSA ODI 11515024

Today my GMC Yukon, lurked forward so hard it hurt my neck, shoulders, and back, I know this is dangerous and has happened before, the lurches are becoming more forceful and powerful and I'm afraid now of driving it far or distance, I don't want anything to happen to me or my family while driving, I must be able to get to appointments etc. This today scares me really bad and I need help with this vehicle...Had I not braked quick I would have been in the pond in front of me the lurk was hard pain shot from back to neck and I went forward, had on my seat belt loges...If not better in the morning I will seek medical attention, I'm really hurting...GMC said noting wrong on both occasions I asked when it was mild in 2019, again 2023, nothing...no...also no warning lights are on

NHTSA ODI 11513458

Brake vacuum repair. Could not stop vehicle. Brakes would get hard and vehicle kept moving.

NHTSA ODI 11502097

I was driving down the highway and out of no where I hear this loud kaboom! I ducked thinking something just hit me and pull over but here glass tinkling around. I automatically know it is my sunroof so I get out and look and my sunroof exploded. (Looked like it was pushed up.) Luckily I had the inside part shut or I and my passenger would have been covered in glass.

NHTSA ODI 11497964

This vehicle was purchased on 7/05/2019 with miles 52,000 and the TRAILER BREAKE SYSTEM has gone bad 2 times already and I haven’t never used the trailer hook for anything is just so expensive to fixed it and goes bad again and all part we’re purchased from the dealership even the dealer said is a manufacturer error and this will keep happening because is manufacturer error was not designed correctly as a consumer I feel that I shouldn’t be paying for their mistake GMC should do recall and get this issue fixed as soon as possible and fixed it 2 times I have been at the dealership to get this issue fixed and I’ll probably be back again to get fixed and like mentioned is not cheap to fixed please do something about this matter I’ll gladly appreciate

NHTSA ODI 11496505

Transmission failure. Remanufactured transmission installed at 160,000 miles. Transmission started shifting abruptly and failed completely on interstate 26 in South Carolina. Had to limp home in a lower gear. Towed to a repair shop for complete replacement with a remanufactured GM transmission Total repair $4500. No warning indication of the problem, thankfully my wife was not driving this vehicle at the time. No inspection except by mechanic who stated based on his experience we got 10,000 miles more than normal for a GM 6L80 transmission. He also stated his shop replaced 5 of those transmissions in the month of August 2022. Documentation available on request.

NHTSA ODI 11495942